Stephen Curry is close to becoming the NBA's all-time leader in 3-pointers made.
Like, really close.
Heading into Golden State's matchup with Indiana on Tuesday (AEDT), the Warriors star sits six 3-pointers away from tying Ray Allen on the leaderboard and seven from passing him. It's no longer a matter of if, but when Curry becomes the all-time leader, and it'll only strengthen his case as the greatest shooter in NBA history when he pushes Allen down to No. 2.
Ahead of Curry adding another record to his resume, Lakers star LeBron James, who has had his fair share of battles against the two-time MVP over the years, spoke about his greatness, saying he's been "phenomenal" his entire career and calling him a "once-in-a-lifetime" talent.
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"First of all, the fact that the other night, when they played, we were really tracking to see if he could make 16 3s — it just lets you know how freaking amazing he is," James said. "If there's one guy in NBA history who can make 16 3s, it's Steph Curry. I'm literally sitting there doing the calculations in my head. I'm like, '16. OK, I know he's made 12 a few times. Well, if there's someone that can do it, it'll be him.' That just lets you know how incredible he is.
"Secondly, the one thing that sticks out in my mind ... is really that shot he made here [in Oklahoma City]. He pulled up from 38, 39, 40 feet and drained that thing. And obviously, we had so many great battles. He hit so many big-time shots and buckets against us. Obviously, he's been phenomenal his whole career. More importantly, just a great dude.
Steph Curry’s game-winner against the Thunder🔥pic.twitter.com/QLFmtUKB2L
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 16, 2020
"I wish I could be there to congratulate him. ... I'll be one of the guys in our league that will congratulate him socially. ... Listen, I know Ray. I know the work that he put into it. And if there's one guy he has to let pass his record, it being Steph, I know Ray is definitely grateful that it would be such a guy like that. Pretty cool accomplishment.
"You can't even jinx it, cause it's gonna happen. It may not happen tomorrow. ... But it's gonna happen. We're all witnesses to what Steph Curry has done in his career and the way that he's changed the game. He's a once-in-a-lifetime basketball player."
Curry enters Tuesday's contest averaging 27.1 points per game on the season. He's knocking down a career-best 5.4 3-pointers per game at a 40.4 percent clip.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Warriors are "weighing a night of rest" for Curry in Indiana. If he does take the night off, Curry could break Allen's record at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday — a game that will be televised on TNT in the United States and ESPN in Australia — if he doesn't do it against the Pacers on Tuesday.
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